On April 25, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the Foreign Agents bill with 425 votes in favor, 25 against, and 30 abstentions. The resolution urges the Parliament to halt the review of the bill and says no negotiations on EU membership shall open while that law is in force. The adopted riders also call for sanctions against the ruling party founder and honorary chair, Bidzina Ivanishvili; demand the withdrawal of the draft Constitutional amendments aimed against the queer community; and call for the release of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. One additional amendment calls on the European Commission to immediately assess the impact of the ‘foreign agents’ law on Georgia’s continued fulfillment of the visa liberalization benchmarks.
Civil.ge has collected the initial reactions of Georgian politicians to the resolution:
Ruling Party
Shalva Papuashvili, Speaker of the Parliament: “This resolution is a political declaration that has no legal force. The fact that it is scrap paper when it comes to Georgia has been proven numerous times… This is not the first such declaration, but it is already the fourth. As the previous three declarations had no value for our country and also for the European Union, this declaration will remain so [without a value] as well. It is a sad story for the archives of the European Parliament.”
Mamuka Mdinaradze, GD Parliamentary majority leader: “The appearance of an entry in the resolution on visa liberalization, i.e., a topic on which any kind of decision (even the initiation of such an issue) requires consensus, i.e., the consent of all twenty-seven states, is another hoax and plain blackmail on the part of the initiating MEPs and nothing more! Not to mention that it’s impossible even to start the procedure [of suspending the visa-free regime] because this needs some legal foundation, and this resolution – that has been paid for but lost all its value – can not serve as such foundation; it has no legal force anyway. In a nutshell, nothing can threaten visa liberalization. Simultaneously, the resolution refers to the sanctioning of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the release of Mikheil Saakashvili, and the withdrawal of the bill on family values. This means that today’s resolution of the European Parliament openly supports evil, opacity, and propaganda of the non-traditional way of life. Thus, it has nothing to do with Europe or Europeanness, and it is absolutely immoral and categorically unacceptable for the Georgian society!”
Kakha Kaladze, GD Secretary General: “The European Parliament has adopted yet another shameful resolution today. The MEPs who voted for this trash have once again insulted this European institution and the very idea of Europe, which is based on freedom, equality, transparency, and truth. Through the mouths of MEPs, fully plunged into lobbyism, we, the Georgian people, were told to release Mikheil Saakashvili, a criminal who created a system of torture, murder, racketeering, oppression, and rape. They say we shall release Saakashvili who knowingly, with prior intent, cut off 20% of Georgia and plunged the country into the swamp of poverty.” […] “As for “reviewing visa-free regime,” this absurd inscription was made for only one reason – to agitate people, confuse our society, and incite the spark of protest. […] Luckily, there still are healthy political forces in European bureaucracy that won’t allow this shameful process to advance.”
Opposition
Giorgi Vashadze, Strategy Agmashenebeli: “We are facing a difficult reality after the European Parliament resolution. In fact, all the labor that the Georgian people, of different generations [to move closer towards Europe], is being washed away. […] [Addressing GD MPs and supporters] As you can see, Russian law and the European Union are incompatible. […] What are you going to tell your children, family members, our history, present and future? […] You chose a path which is not the choice of the Georgian people, that you went against the will of the citizens of Georgia? Think about what this person [Bidzina Ivanishvili] is forcing you [to do] and is making you do; just think about the situation you are putting the country in. Trust me, taking a step back on this case is really not shameful.”
Levan Khabeishvili, UNM: “The time of sitting at home, with TV remotes at hand is over; any other business must wait – Ivanishvili is canceling Georgia! We shall protect our country, our nation, and absolutely all engage in combat against the Russian law, against this government.”
Mamuka Khazaradze, Lelo for Georgia: “European Union or Georgia in Putin’s Russia – this is the choice Bidzina Ivanishvili is giving us. Mobilization of all forces is required to defend our nation’s historic choice!”
Zurab Chiaberashvili, UNM: “When they adopted this resolution, the MEPs were first of all worried about the fact that instead of talking about Georgia’s successful reforms, they have to deal with the huge problems that the “Georgian Dream” creates for the Georgian people. It is indeed written in the resolution that negotiations on Georgia’s accession to the European Union cannot be opened until this Russian law is recalled. This is a huge threat to our country.”
Nika Gvaramia, Ahali: “The first thing we have to find out and what we have been told by this decision and resolution is that Georgia’s path to Europe will be cut off if this law is adopted and until this law comes into force… the stage of negotiations will not be opened at all. Not only will the process fail, but the stage will not be opened at all. Moreover… what is probably the most urgent conclusion we should draw from this resolution is that for the first time in the history of Georgia the issue of visa-free travel can be reconsidered.”
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